'Moonies' church leader jailed for two years over bribery offences

What the report says

South Korea’s Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja has been sentenced to two years in prison after a court found her guilty of bribery-related offences involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee. BBC World News reported that the court concluded the church provided Kim with two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace, valued at about 80 million won, during 2022 in what prosecutors said was an effort to gain business and political favour.

Han, who is 83 and the widow of church founder Sun Myung Moon, had denied the allegations and described them as false. The case is part of a wider investigation into political funding and influence-peddling around the church and South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been ousted from office. Kim was previously sentenced to 20 months in prison for accepting bribes linked to the same matter.

According to the report, prosecutors also said investigators found large amounts of cash in Han’s personal safe, and argued the inquiry showed an attempt by the church to buy political influence. Kim has admitted receiving the luxury items but said she returned them unused. The church, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, is a long-established religious movement in South Korea and is often associated with mass weddings and strong political connections. The case is significant because it adds to scrutiny of the group’s finances and its ties to political figures in South Korea and beyond.